


Redamancy

by brightlikeloulou



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Explicit Sexual Content, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Paul gets the love he deserves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:07:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29051862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightlikeloulou/pseuds/brightlikeloulou
Summary: Paul was used to it, the intense lack of affection, had been for many years. It was how it had been his entire life, ever since he could remember.
Relationships: Aaron/Jesus (Walking Dead)
Kudos: 22





	Redamancy

**Author's Note:**

> reupload of a deleted fic of mine

Paul was used to it, the intense lack of affection, had been for many years. It was how it had been his entire life, ever since he could remember.

He was born to drug addict parents who didn't want him, saw him as nothing but a burden. They cared for him the bare minimum when he was a baby, but as soon as he was old enough to use the toilet and open the pantry himself, he was left mostly to his own devices, to raise himself, his mother occasionally bathing him when she wasn't high out of her mind.

By the time he was removed from his parents' care when he was six and placed in the care of the system, he was used to the lack of affection. He had a vague memory of one of the social workers giving him a hug, and he asked her why she did it because he didn't even know what a hug _was_.

Being in the system didn't give him much of a chance to catch up either. He was shuffled from group home to group home, to different foster parents. Nobody gave a shit in group homes, sure there'd be two meals on the table every day and access to clean bathrooms and clothes, but it was never real. The carers never went out of their way to get to know the children they were looking after.

Paul was the same really, he never made any effort to get know the fellow foster kids or parents. He was already so withdrawn due to his own parents' treatment of him, that he couldn't form relationships easily, if at all. He had had only ever had one set of foster parents that did really try with him, he was sixteen years old and sent off to live in a suburban house with a white picket fence and a happily married couple who wanted to give some 'disadvantaged' teenager a better life.

They gave Paul clothes, books, his own room, a phone, but it meant nothing to him back then. He fought with them whenever they asked something of him, refused to attend church with them on Sundays, choosing to instead stay in his room and jerk off instead of praising a god that never did anything for him, it was ironic that he would later take his name. He snuck out of his bedroom almost every night, running with a bad crowd, spending his nights drinking and doing drugs and fucking guys wherever the hell they were partying that night, whether it be the woods, a warehouse, an abandoned car yard on one occasion.

On the occurrences that he actually went to the high school they had enrolled him at, he refused to go to classes and got into fights. He was eventually so much trouble, and the couple realised that no matter how hard they tried, he wasn't going to change. He was returned to the system.

He was eventually free to live his own life when he was eighteen, and he moved from Indiana to New York. He took what few belongings he had, and a marijuana addiction with him. He moved into a tiny studio apartment and got a job as a bartender.

Even with his freedom, it remained the same. He met random guys, he fucked them, he left.

He remained in New York right up until the outbreak. He caught on quickly to what was happening, he knew that there was no end to it, that it was deadly, particularly so in the most populated city in America.

He had always been an outdoorsy type, so he had plenty of gear for what he needed. He had a large hiking pack that he filled with essentials, clothes, food, water, his knives. He put on heavier clothes, his large boots. Most of the others in his apartment building had just done what was advised on the news and locked themselves away inside. All of the roads had been stopped, everywhere was on lockdown, people weren't supposed to leave, but Paul knew that if he stayed there, he'd die.

He snuck out of the building easily, and made his way through the city, aiming to get where it was less populated, more into the country. He ran into trouble a few times, military members who tried to stop him, but they were taken off-guard by his martial arts skills, and he got away.

Ten months after the outbreak, he arrived at The Hilltop colony. In reality, The Hilltop was lucky when he came along, without his scavenging abilities, they wouldn't have made it another six months.

* * *

Now, eight years into the outbreak, things were somewhat peaceful. Negan had been defeated over seven years earlier, the communities had built themselves up and had resources to create power, bullets, weapons, food, variations of products from the old world due to the knowledge of all the different people that had been brought together in the New World, who probably never would have met otherwise.

Paul had been the leader of The Hilltop for three months at that point, Maggie had left with Georgie to establish a new community, had taken Hershel Jr with her. Maggie was the first person Paul had ever really let himself get close to, the first person who came genuinely important to him. He loved her, he knew that. He'd never told her that he did, but he also knew that he didn't need to, that she knew he did anyway.

As much as Paul loved her, as much as she meant to him, he was pissed at her. He hated the confinement of The Hilltop's walls if he was behind them for too long, but when she had left, she had left him as the acting leader, and he _hated_ it. He was continuously needed, Tara always on his ass about something, people of the community needing something from him.

* * *

Aaron was the person who properly began to bring affection into his life.

The two of them had been meeting outside of the walls regularly, and he was probably as close to him as he was to Maggie. Paul had been training him in martial arts for around a year, but when he became The Hilltop's leader, he was only able to sneak outside of the walls once every week or two.

When Aaron moved to The Hilltop from Alexandria, Paul liked it because he got to see the man far more often, but ultimately, it became harder to spend more time outside of the walls because Aaron was given his own responsibilities, and it became tough for them to have time off at the same time.

The first time it happened, they were sat on the log in the clearing that they met up in to train and had just finished sparring. They were both sweaty and catching their breath, the horses grazing on the grass not far off, when Aaron was suddenly reaching for Paul's hair.

"You have leaves in it," Aaron said in reply to Paul's look of confusion, as he began picking at his bun.

"Oh," Paul replied, swallowing thickly when Aaron's forearm brushed his face.

"You know, let me just take it out," Aaron said, standing up and beginning to remove Paul's hair from its bun like it was no big deal, "Make it easier,"

Paul tried managed to keep himself still as Aaron plucked leaves and grass from his hair, and then combed his fingers through it once he was done.

Paul awkwardly cleared his throat, and Aaron removed his hands from his hair, "Thanks," He said, bringing his bottle of water to his lips again.

"No worries," Aaron said, smiling warmly at him as he sat back down on the log, but Paul noticed that he had a red flush on his cheeks.

* * *

The second time it happened, Paul had just finished work in the gardens, something Tara had been annoyed at him for because apparently, that wasn't something he should have been spending his time on.

He had made the mistake of wearing his white button up, and his front was covered in dirt, but he hadn't actually noticed.

Aaron approached him as he got to his feet, holding out a water bottle for him to take.

"Thank you," Paul said, smiling warmly at the curly-headed man and immediately beginning to gulp down large mouthfuls of the cool liquid.

"No worries," Aaron said, a grin on his lips. He looked down at Paul's torso after a few moments and said, "You're a mess," before he reached out and began swiping his palm over his stomach and chest in an attempt to brush some of the dirt off his body.

Paul tensed, but found himself not hating the feeling of Aaron's hand on his body. After a few moments, he gently grabbed Aaron's wrist and stopped the man's brushing, "That won't do much, I'll have to wash it," he said, and he could feel his cheeks burning.

"Sure," Aaron said, and then patted Paul's shoulder several times before he stepped away, "Go get cleaned up then, dinner will be ready soon,"

Paul nodded, managing a soft smile at the slightly older man.

* * *

The eighth time it happened, Paul was sat on the couch of the second floor of Barrington House, going over plans for an extension of the gardens.

He heard footsteps making their way up the stairs behind him, and he closed his eyes as he hoped that it wasn't somebody that was coming to bother him.

He smiled softly when Aaron's familiar voice filled his ears, because Aaron never really asked him for anything, "Hey, Paul," The man greeted him as he made his way over and plopped himself down on the couch beside him.

"Hi," Paul replied, smiling at him for a moment before looking back down at the papers in his hands.

It was quiet for a few moments before Aaron sighed heavily, "Why don't you take a break?" he asked.

"I do take breaks," Paul replied, looking at him for a moment and quirking his eyebrow.

"When?"

Paul crossed one leg over his other, "When me and you go sparring in the woods,"

"So, you relax once a week? That's ridiculous," Aaron said, rolling his eyes, "Come on, you don't have to completely leave the walls and plan out days in advance a time to relax,"

Paul sighed, "I do, with how much shit people here want me to do, I don't have time,"

"You have ten minutes," Aaron said, shifting so that he was sitting on the couch completely facing him.

"What?" Paul asked, furrowing his brows in confusion as he looked at Aaron who was grinning wide at him, the grin lighting up his entire, his lips spread beneath his beard and crinkles forming beside his bright blue eyes, the large window in front of them casting yellow light and shadows over his face. He looked beautiful.

"Give me ten minutes of your time, and I can make you relax," Aaron said, and Paul quirked his brow, and his gut swirled a little. Aaron snorted softly, "Get your mind out of the gutter, not like that," He said.

"How so then?" Paul replied, and his smirk widened when Aaron's cheeks flushed red.

"Turn around, so your back is to me,"

Paul sighed heavily but did as Aaron said, despite the logical voice in his head that told him he didn't have time to be fooling around with the cute man that he was fairly sure he fancied.

After a few moments, Paul felt Aaron's hands land on his shoulders, and within seconds, he was being massaged over his shirt. Paul quickly sighed in pleasure at how good it felt, Aaron's hands were large, and pushing and kneading at the right places, working on the knots in Paul's muscles. It was clear that the curly-headed man had done it before.

"Told you," Aaron said, and Paul just knew that he was smirking.

Paul didn't reply but found himself enjoying the man's touch so much, that he reached up to quickly pull his hair into a knot, and then bowed his head in the hope that Aaron would move his hands to his neck, surprising himself with his thoughts.

Aaron knew what Paul wanted, and started working on his neck, and Paul sighed happily as he closed his eyes. He placed his elbows on his knees so that he could rest his chin in his hands and allow himself to completely relax into Aaron's touch.

The massage lasted much longer than ten minutes, and they both knew it, but Paul didn't want Aaron to stop, and the man didn't appear as if he was going to.

"See?" Aaron said softly, his hands had made their way to his mid-back, and it startled Paul how close the man's mouth was to his neck, he could feel his hot breath fan over his skin.

"See what?" Paul asked almost groggily, the massage was making him sleepy, and his mind wasn't focused.

Aaron chuckled, "That you can relax without leaving the walls, you're like putty in my hands," he said, sounding smug at having proved himself right.

"Am not putty," Paul argued weakly.

Aaron chuckled again, and Paul's eyes burst open when he felt a gentle kiss be pressed to the back of his neck, "Sure you're not," Aaron said, and then petted his lower back, "Come on, roll over and lay down on your back, let me do your feet,"

"You got some sort of foot fetish?" Paul teased as he rolled over eagerly because a foot massage did sound amazing with how much he was always on his feet, especially with how good Aaron had proved himself to be.

Aaron laughed at him, watching him accommodate himself on his back and he grabbed his boot covered feet and placed them in his lap, "What if I did?" He asked playfully as he pulled his shoes and then socks off.

"You'd be on your own with that one," Paul said, groaning when Aaron's fingers started working on his aching feet, and he rested his head back against the arm of the couch, closing his eyes again.

About forty minutes into his massage, Paul fell asleep right there on the couch, comfortable and peaceful.

* * *

The twelfth time it happened, Paul was sick.

The flu had been going around The Hilltop and was slowly infecting residents one by one. It was more of an inconvenience than anything, they hadn't had to worry about the flu causing deaths for several years, but everyone still preferred that it wasn't around.

With the number of people that Paul interact within a day, it was inevitable that he would get sick, and sure enough, he did. About two weeks after the first person became ill, it was apparently Paul's turn, and he was miserable. His body ached, he constantly rotated between being so hot that he sweated, and so cold that he shivered and his teeth chattered. He threw up at least once every three hours, and he felt the weakest he had been in a long time.

He had been attempting to look after himself for the first two days, but he wasn't getting any better, and when Siddiq dropped around on the third day to check on him, Paul finally asked if he would find Aaron and send him over.

Paul knew that Aaron was the kind of guy who wouldn't mind looking after him for a few days.

Aaron showed up only a few minutes after Siddiq left, holding a bag over one shoulder and he had a comforting smile on his face.

Paul was laying in his bed, the covers pulled up his body because he was once again cold. He had tissues and hankies piled all around his trailer, as well as a vomit bucket beside his bed in the event that he couldn't make it to the trailer's small bathroom, an event that had already happened four times.

"Hi," Aaron greeted him softly, "How're you feeling?" He asked as he made his way over to the bed.

"I'm fuckin' dying," He said, his voice weak.

Aaron sighed as he sat down on the beside him, "I'm sorry, I get that it sucks" He said softly as he reached out and brushed some hair out of Paul's face.

"You haven't been sick," Paul grunted, a frown on his face, and he knew that he just sounded petty because he felt like shit and was annoyed that Aaron had the ability to make sudden movements without his head pounding or his stomach churning.

Aaron chuckled, "Well, believe it or not, while not in the past two weeks, I have had the flu a couple of times during my thirty-nine years,"

"Asshole," Paul mumbled, not appreciating the sarcastic tone of the curly-headed man, and he rested his arm over his face.

He felt a gentle hand on his arm, and it was pulled from his face, "I'm sorry, okay? I know you're not feeling well. What can I do to help?" He said, apparently not minding that Paul was really the one acting like an asshole.

"Food," Paul said, even though he knew that he would more than likely vomit it up in a couple of hours, but he hadn't eaten properly in two days, and he was absolutely starving and couldn't bring himself to care.

"Okay, do you know what you'd like?" Aaron said, continuing to brush his fingers through Paul's air, not minding that his long strands were greasy.

Paul shook his head, and pulled the covers up a little further, "I don't care, just some sort of food,"

Aaron nodded, and gently patted his chest as he stood up, "Alright, I'll cook up something. Why don't you try and take a nap while I do, okay?"

Paul nodded, deciding that sounded like a wonderful idea and he closed his eyes and rolled onto his side so that he was facing the wall.

* * *

Two hours later, after Paul had had his nap and his dinner, and Aaron had even read to him for a while, Aaron was sat down on the bed beside him again.

"Alright, Jesus, I can't lie to you anymore," Aaron said, looking down at him, and Paul grunted, he was sleepy again, and all he wanted was to go back to sleep, "You stink, with hot flashes and the sweating, and it's not that great,"

Paul grunted and weakly raised his middle finger at him, "I haven't had the energy to shower in two days, alright?"

"I can give you a bed bath?" Aaron offered, pulling covers higher up Paul's body, and petting his beard for a moment, and he leaned into the touch.

"You may as well just give me an actual bath, Aaron," He replied, falling in love with the idea of sitting in a warm bath, (and also having a gorgeous man somewhat bathe him, but being honest, in his poor health he was more interested in the warm water).

"Would you be comfortable with that?" Aaron asked, and Paul looked up and found that the man's face was covered in both concern and curiosity.

"As long as you are," Paul said weakly, blinking up at him and offering a lazy smile.

Aaron nodded, "Come on then," He said, and helped him sit up.

They made their way into the bathroom, and Aaron sat Paul down on the toilet lid and began filling up the bath before he stepped back into the main area of the trailer and grabbed some clean pajamas for Paul to put on.

As they waited for the bathtub fill up, Aaron brushed out Paul's hair, and Paul found himself humming and falling asleep again to the feeling of the man's fingers in his hair. When Aaron was done, he set the brush down on the small vanity and placed both of his hands on Paul's shoulders.

Paul sighed and leaned his head back and rested it against Aaron's stomach.

"I'm sorry that I'm being an asshole," Paul said softly after a few moments, he was starting to feel guilty for being so rude to the older man.

"It's okay," Aaron replied immediately, and rested his forehead against the top of Paul's head, and Paul breathed in deeply when he felt Aaron kiss his hair, "Now come on, let's get you in the bath,"

Paul nodded and allowed Aaron to help him stand up. Paul's cheeks flushed red as Aaron took his clothes off until he was standing naked in the cold bathroom. He had never had any kind of shame about his body, but it felt different standing naked in front of Aaron, not for a sexual reason, but because the man cared about him enough to take care of him when he was sick.

"I see you checking me out," Paul said with a smirk as he sat down in the tub, humming at the warm water surrounding his body.

He felt fondness swell in him when he noticed the aggressive blush on Aaron's face as he sat down on the stool by the bath and reached for the loofa and covered it in soap, "I'm sorry, can't help myself," Aaron said, grinning a little also.

"Trust me, I haven't got a problem with it," Paul said, resting his head back against the bath as he felt Aaron begin to wash his body.

Aaron laughed softly as he lifted his arm to be able to get the underside of it, "I'll keep that in mind then," He said, and Paul grinned.

* * *

The thirteenth time it happened, Paul was no longer sick.

Both Aaron and Paul were sat on the bed beside each other and had been laughing and joking, talking about nothing in particular.

In a moment of silence, their eyes had met, Aaron's bright blue ones staring into Paul's green-blue ones, the look they shared deep, and within a few seconds, they had both leaned in and pressed their lips together.

Aaron's hand cupped his cheek and stroked his beard as their lips moved against each other. Paul was holding Aaron by his waist, and as their kiss deepened, their tongues exploring each other's mouths, Paul pushed his hands under Aaron's sweater.

His hands were met with the warm, soft skin of Aaron's love handles, and he couldn't help himself from squeezing the flesh happily.

Aaron chuckled against his lips, and then they both lowered until they were laid down, Paul on his back and Aaron pressed against him.

Their clothes were removed slowly, and Aaron seemed to be kissing every inch of Paul's skin as it was revealed to him. Paul was propped against the pillows and watching with interest as Aaron kissed down his body, leaving little trails of saliva, and the curly-headed man occasionally sucked a hickey into a particular spot. His neck, collarbones, and hips, red marks on them.

Paul gasped when Aaron dragged his lips down his hard cock, his blue eyes staring up at him and locking onto his own as he took the head into his mouth.

Paul hummed at the feeling of Aaron's warm mouth surrounding him, and he reached down and threaded his fingers into Aaron's hair, gripping it hard, trying to feel some kind of control.

That's how it usually was, Paul was generally in control and took the lead when it came to sex, and that was how he liked it. But so far with Aaron, that wasn't how it seemed to be going on that particular night, and though it was different, Paul couldn't bring himself to not like it.

Aaron sucked him for a few minutes, until Paul was moaning softly, and leaking his pre-come into Aaron's mouth.

A few minutes later, Paul was tense as Aaron moved a lubed up finger in and out of his body slowly.

He wasn't tense because it was physically uncomfortable, sure Paul was usually on top, and it had been a while since anything was inside of him, but one finger was still nothing to him. Paul wasn't used to the gentleness that Aaron was treating him with, he was moving his finger slowly and pressing kissed against his stomach from where he was laid over him between his spread legs.

"Two now," Aaron said quietly, open-mouthed kissing his hip and as he slipped the second finger inside of him.

Paul rolled his eyes and showed his annoyance by tugging Aaron's hair. He didn't need it like that.

Apparently, that had come off wrong, and Aaron stopped moving his fingers and looked up at him, "You okay?" He asked softly, his beard scratching his skin pleasantly.

"Yes," Paul hissed and shoved his hips against Aaron's fingers.

"You sure?" Aaron pressed, quirking a brow at him with a concerned little frown on his face.

Paul rolled his eyes and threw his head back against the pillows, "Yes, I'm a big boy, so hurry up,"

Aaron didn't say anything more, but did begin moving his fingers again, and angled them upwards to press them against his prostate.

Paul groaned at the feeling of Aaron's fingers against his sweet spot, and his cock twitched, and he was tempted to reach down and stroke himself, but he held back.

Paul rolled his eyes again when Aaron started working a third finger inside of him. Aaron's cock was of average length and girth (which was what Paul preferred anyway on those occasions that he went on bottom), and it wasn't really necessary for the curly-headed man to stretch him with three fingers when he had already been scissoring him for several long minutes and was using plenty of lube.

Paul finally huffed through his nose and looked down at Aaron, "I'm not going to break, I'm not delicate," he hissed.

And it wasn't necessarily that Paul wasn't enjoying it, because it did feel good, but it was so different from what his past experiences had been like. Gentle sex was never something Paul had ever really done, he had never been in a committed relationship, really only had one-night stands and friends with benefits, and gentle just wasn't a part of that.

Paul didn't like being out of his comfort zone, and when Aaron slowly began moving his three fingers in and out, kissing across his abs like he needed the comfort. That made Paul snap.

"Fucking hell!" He exclaimed, sitting upwards so that Aaron was forced to remove his fingers.

Aaron was clearly taken by surprise, and he looked up at him with wide eyes a look of concern on his face as he reached for his thigh, "Paul," He said, "What's wrong, did I hurt you or something?"

"No, you didn't fucking hurt me," Paul said, forcing himself to calm down as he ran his fingers through his hair, "You're treating me like I'm some delicate, weak, flower. I don't need that, I'm not…" He began stuttering almost, a lump forming in his throat as his eyes began to sting. He didn't even know why he was crying, "I'm not fucking weak," He managed to get out.

Paul could see it click in Aaron's head, and he took deep breaths as Aaron crawled up his body. He settled above him and cupped his cheek.

Paul found himself relaxing beneath the other man's touch, and let his eyes meet Aaron's.

Aaron leaned down after a few minutes of stroking his thumb over his cheekbone, and their lips pressed together. Aaron kissed him gently, and it almost annoyed Paul again, but then he pulled away and moved his lips down Paul's neck.

"Let me love you," Aaron whispered, as he sucked at his warm skin.

The words sent a jolt to Paul's stomach, and he squeezed his eyes closed but ran his hands up and down Aaron's bare back, feeling the warm and smooth skin beneath his palms.

"You're not weak," Aaron whispered against his neck, and one hand reached down to begin slowly stroking Paul's cock. Paul relaxed beneath Aaron's hand, and let himself slowly rock into the touch, "You're the strongest person I have ever met. Me being gentle with you doesn't make you weak, it's my way of showing you I love you because I know nobody else is like that with you. But, if that makes you uncomfortable, I don't have to," Aaron whispered against his sweaty skin, having removed his hand from Paul's cock so that he would be focusing on the words that he spoke and not the grip on his cock.

Paul didn't say anything, but he could feel tears pricking at his eyes at the older man's words. He grabbed the back of Aaron's neck and pulled him up for a kiss, with his other hand, he began fumbling on the mattress for the condom that he knew that was there somewhere. His fingers found purchase on it after a few moments, and he somehow managed to unwrap it, and then he reached both hands down between their bodies and he began to roll the condom onto Aaron's cock. It was a little clumsy as he couldn't see what he was doing, but he got it on there, and then pulled forward and encouraged Aaron to place himself at his entrance.

"Are you sure?" Aaron asked, gasping as his head bumped against his hole.

"Yes," Paul whispered, pressing their lips together again and wrapping his arms around Aaron's shoulders, wanting to hold him close.

Aaron did as Paul asked, after being convinced that he was okay, and began to press inside.

Due to all of Aaron's preparation, Aaron slipped inside of him easily, and Aaron groaned as sunk into him.

Paul moaned softly as Aaron began moving in and out of him, his cock dragging pleasantly against his walls. It had been a long time since he was on the bottom, as it just wasn't something he was into doing often, he had to be in the mood for it, but he found himself thoroughly enjoying the feeling of Aaron inside of him.

Aaron didn't increase his pace, keeping it slow as he moved in and out of him, kissing his lips, his cheeks his jaw, and his neck and collarbones. Paul found himself feeling loved, and that was something that he did not usually feel.

With that thought in his head, he moaned softly and wrapped his legs around Aaron, holding him close as the new angle rubbed his prostate with every thrust.

The slow pace made the sex last longer, and it took a long time for Paul's orgasm to start building. But, once it did, he couldn't hold back the moans that made their way out of his throat, and his cock was leaking a steady stream of pre-come against his stomach.

Aaron had been kissing his neck as neither of them could really focus on kissing each other on the mouth but lifted his head up when they both got close.

"You're so beautiful, Paul," Aaron groaned, and Paul opened his eyes and looked up at him, he looked beautiful himself.

His mouth was parted beneath his beard, he had droplets of sweat rolling down his temples, and his pupils were blown wide as he looked down at him.

After that it didn't take much longer, Paul's orgasm crashed over him as he looked into Aaron's eyes. He came untouched onto his stomach, something he couldn't recall ever having done before, and his orgasm was so intense that he could feel his thighs shaking.

Aaron came just seconds later, pressing their lips together as he did. He continued to thrust gently for a few moments after to ride out their orgasms, and once he had pulled out as much pleasure as he could, he pulled out.

They collapsed down on the bed afterward, and Paul watched as Aaron pulled the condom off himself and wrapped it in a tissue from his nightstand, and then placed it on top of the wooden surface.

Paul had closed his legs and his eyes by the time Aaron crawled back to him. Aaron started stroking his waist as he settled with his head against Paul's shoulder and an arm over his stomach that he used to hold him close. It didn't take them long to fall asleep after that, completely curled up against each other.

* * *

Because of Aaron, Paul got used to affection. Paul learned what it felt like to be loved and treated like he was loved.

Aaron moved out of his room and joined him in the trailer after they had been together for a few months, and Paul fell in love with what it felt like to wake up next to the man every day. Paul was more of a morning person, so he usually woke up first, and he'd spend several minutes watching the curly-headed man sleep before he inevitably woke up too and pulled him into his arms.

Paul got used to being continuously kissed throughout the day, from when the first woke up together, to when they fell asleep beside each other.

He got used to being given random hugs during the day, Aaron appearing beside him and pulling him to his side, or coming up behind him and wrapping his arms around him and kissing him his cheek in greeting and whispering in his ear that he loved him.

Paul got used to being treated how he deserved to be treated.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading <3


End file.
